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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25685242">to be something extraordinary</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/raracatsputin/pseuds/raracatsputin'>raracatsputin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Assassination Classroom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Dialogue Heavy, Fix-It, even if it took me making some questionable google searches to figure out how, i make the rules now and the rules say the kids save their teacher</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:22:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,570</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25685242</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/raracatsputin/pseuds/raracatsputin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Option three.” Nagisa starts, rubbing his hands together to ease his anxiety. “Return to being a human.”</p><p>(Their class has been taught to not accept anything as impossible. Killing their teacher is not impossible. </p><p>Saving him is not impossible, either.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>No Romantic Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>170</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>to be something extraordinary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bloodlust or not, Korosensei sees right through him. He always has.</p><p> </p><p>After Nagisa spends the day fumbling through equations and mispronouncing his English vocabulary, his teacher asks if he would help organize their old tests. Nagisa prefers to stay late at school over tiptoeing his way around his mother when she gets home from work, anyway</p><p> </p><p>In the end, Korosensei finishes all the organization in the time it takes Nagisa to put away his own file. It takes an additional minute for Korosensei to fly to the store and back with a box of doughnuts, mostly because he had to pay first. They find refuge on the top of the school building as the sky fades away into yellows and oranges.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course, I am loved by everyone,” Korosensei says as he twirls a doughnut around one tentacle and eats with another, “The young man saw how amazing I was and immediately turned over the purse. I had it back to the young lady before she knew it was gone.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure he was not just terrified when he saw your tentacles and decided the purse was not worth it?” Nagisa doubts, wiping his glazed-covered fingers on his pants.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei has the audacity to look shocked. “Of course not! Who could be scared of such an adorable, handsome face?”</p><p> </p><p>“As your student, I cannot respectfully answer to that.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei knows Nagisa will talk when he is ready. Until then, he is subjected to stories of his teacher’s so-called “everyday heroism.” Some of them sound more like ego boosts and borderline felonies, but that is not as concerning when he is also talking to a state secret and invincible octopus.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa picks pieces off a blueberry doughnut as he half-listens as another story starts about saving a car from swerving into a tree (when the driver only lost control because he saw a monster with a volleyball head trying to get his hat back from a bird’s nest.) He is sure there is a lesson in there somewhere about being aware of one’s surroundings, or to expect the unexpected, as a teacher sees every opportunity as a chance for learning.</p><p> </p><p>But Nagisa cannot bring himself to pay attention to any lesson right now, especially from Korosensei. Especially when Korosensei might not be able to give any more lessons in two months. Especially when there are plans that he does not know about and assassins prepared to take their fun time away. Especially when Nagisa cannot do anything about it because no one listens to a child.</p><p> </p><p>It is either his irregular breathing or distant look- or a combination of both- that give away the crescendo of anxiety happening in his head when he feels a warm tentacle fall over his shoulders like it is the most casual thing in the world.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei’s voice is quiet and nonjudgmental. “Are you still thinking about what happened with Kayano? About what I told you all?”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa nods. “I probably would not have had that fight with Karma if I wasn’t. I just can’t stop worrying about what will happen in March, or any time before that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh? It does not suit you to worry about the future that much, Nagisa. The class respected your decision to save my life. Are you doubting yourself now, since you lead them on that path?”</p><p> </p><p>“No- of course not. I believe it more than ever. I just cannot bring myself to believe it will be as easy as it seems to save you. Nothing ever is.” Nagisa sighs, staring straight ahead as the sun finally disappears over the horizon. “Some things look so impossible.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei clicks his tongue. “Pessimism also does not suit you. I think you know better than anyone in the class that if any of you set your mind to something, you can achieve it. There is no such thing as impossible in our class. Yes, it might be more difficult than expected. But isn’t that the fun in an assassination?”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa turns this lesson over in his head for a moment (there is always a lesson) before breaching the depths of his worries. “I never did- well, I guess none of us did, really- ask what you wanted to do. If you wanted to be assassinated or be saved. That was probably selfish of us.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course not. There is nothing selfish about wanting to save another’s life,” Korosensei says easily, as if he expected something like this, “I would not have considered another option if you had not brought it up, after all. I am obviously going to follow the one that my students believe in the most.”</p><p> </p><p>And- here is his chance. Korosensei unknowingly created a smooth opening for him to explain the turmoil of the past two weeks. Now, he has the opportunity to ask the only question that has been on his mind since Korosensei told his story. He has to know, or else he cannot live with whatever happens in March.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s say you could choose what happens to you in March,” Nagisa says as calmly as he can, “Let’s say you had three choices to pick from to decide your future.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei does not respond. Nagisa does not take the time to worry about if he is confused or surprised or even understanding. If he fails to say this all now, he may never find a better time to.</p><p> </p><p>“Your first choice is what the class has been working for this whole year: you are assassinated, whether by us, the government, or some other assassin. As simple as that can be. The second choice is to live as you are now- a state secret. You are limited to how well you can hide in public, and assassins are probably going to hunt you down whether there is a bounty or not.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa pauses, and Korosensei takes this cue. He contemplates out loud, like he is deciding between cupcakes and popsicles. “Be killed, or live in hiding. Out of those two, I greatly prefer a worthwhile assassination, especially one orchestrated by my students. You say I have a third choice?”</p><p> </p><p>“Option three.” Nagisa starts, rubbing his hands together to ease his anxiety. “Return to being a human.”</p><p> </p><p>Out of their whole class, Nagisa probably surprises their teacher the most. He risked his own body for an assassination from the start. He managed to take down a seasoned soldier without killing him. He learns assassination skills quickly and effectively, and he defeated Karma using his own techniques against him.</p><p> </p><p>This time, he thinks he beats those previous surprises by far. He hears a choked sound from Korosensei, and he whips his head around in time to witness a whole doughnut fly from his throat to the schoolyard below them. Beads of mucus-filled sweat cover his face. Nagisa has a fleeting thought to smack his back a few times to help, but again remembers that this is the same lifeform that eats knives for fun.</p><p> </p><p>After he stops choking on doughnut crumbs, Korosensei twists to face Nagisa, incredulous. He seems to be struggling with how to respond to an admittedly outrageous suggestion, though his face does not change color like usual.</p><p> </p><p>“I apologize- you really caught me off-guard, Nagisa. Which you know is a very difficult thing to do,” Korosensei tries to speak lightly, “Can you repeat that last part again, to make sure I heard you right?”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa nods, finding the confidence to be blunt. “If you could live as a human again, in order to stay here with us, would you?”</p><p> </p><p>There is another beat of silence, but Nagisa is prepared to wait as long as he needs to for an answer. They are facing each other, though not quite meeting each other’s eyes. When Korosensei finds his voice again, he sounds as if he is talking about a math question.</p><p> </p><p>“Just to clarify, I would not lose any memories from the past year? I would only lose my powers?”</p><p> </p><p>“Theoretically, yes. The only thing that would change is your physical form. No more tentacles, speed, or weird digestion. I would say you would be less powerful, but you were already the best assassin before; you would still be a force to be reckoned with.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa is not quite sure what answer he will get. Really, he is not sure what answer he wants. But he knows that this teacher has supported him in every path he has chosen; whatever decision he makes, Korosensei would do anything to make it happen. It is only fair for Nagisa to want to do the same.</p><p> </p><p>“If given that choice, I could not turn it down.” Korosensei finally answers, seeming as if he is imagining such a situation. “I accepted my fate of dying by March the day Yukimura told me. But after teaching you students, there is not much I would refuse to do if it meant I could continue encouraging you after graduation.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa processes this response, and a wide grin crosses his face. “If I had a balloon head like yours, it would show that you gave the correct answer.”</p><p> </p><p>“Balloon head?!” Korosensei squeaks, tentacles slapping either side of his face.</p><p> </p><p>Somehow, just like that, the tension that had built between them fades, as Korosensei always manages to do. Nagisa can bring himself to make eye contact and laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“I am glad you want to stay with us though, Korosensei. We want you to stick around, too.” Nagisa’s grin turns into a sincere smile, though he does not fail to tack on at the end: “Mr. Karasuma and Miss Irina are no fun to mess with, anyway. You are a much easier target.”</p><p> </p><p>Satisfied with this conversation, Nagisa quickly grabs the almost-empty doughnut box and leaps off the roof before Korosensei realizes what happened. He hears another shriek behind him followed by the distinct sound of tentacles slapping the ground. Snatching another doughnut, he throws the box and watches with amusement as a blur of yellow and black saves the treats from falling on the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“See you tomorrow, Korosensei!” Nagisa calls as he retrieves his bag.</p><p> </p><p>“See you tomorrow, Nagisa!” Korosensei responds, though he sounds frazzled and is clutching the box to his chest with more tentacles than necessary.</p><p> </p><p>By the time Nagisa closes the door to his bedroom behind him, a framework of a plan has emerged in his mind. To be more accurate, a plan he had considered, but not entertained fully, has solidified. If he did not know his teacher’s answer, he could not live with whatever happens in March. He could not accept Korosensei’s death, should it happen, if he did not at least try to give him that third option.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei gave the whole class a second chance, and he deserves one as well. This is Nagisa’s final assassination attempt.</p><p> </p><p>He pulls out a notebook and sits in front of his laptop. “Ritsu, can you help me with something?”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The last thing Okuda and Takebayashi expect when Nagisa opens the door is a hunched-over, clearly sleep-deprived teenager with an armful of files. It takes them more than a second to fully register it as Nagisa. Mostly because his hair is down, falling in tangled blue curls around his shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>Okuda’s first thought that she does not realize she says out loud is, “Oh god, he’s lost his mind.”</p><p> </p><p>Fortunately, Nagisa is too tired to notice or care. “Hey, thanks for coming by on short notice. Come on in.”</p><p> </p><p>He leads them through his tidy apartment- which none of their classmates, other than Karma, have ever seen- and shoulders his door open. More papers are crumpled up around his desk, with his schoolbooks discarded on his bed. Which has clearly not been slept in. The files he was holding are all but slung onto the floor, and he uses his free arms to swipe aside the books on the bed.</p><p><br/>
Nagisa waves for them to sit on the tidied area. “Again, thank you both for coming. I know it’s our day off, but I really needed your help.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well.” Takebayashi clears his throat, half-thinking that their classmate has been replaced with a shapeshifting demon. “When our usually-calm classmate calls us frantically and says he needs our science skills to assassinate our teacher, it is hard to say no.”</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the open laptop sitting on Nagisa’s desk flashes. A familiar face appears on the screen, though she has changed into a lab coat and goggles. She always fits the part.</p><p> </p><p>“Good afternoon, Okuda and Takebayashi!” Ritsu greets with a wave.</p><p> </p><p>They wave back with similar sentiments, then watch Nagisa drag himself to the chair in front of the desk. He spins it around and rests his arms on the backrest. None of them have ever seen him so worn, not even during exams or after failed assassination attempts.</p><p> </p><p>“I promise I have not gone off the deep end.” Nagisa starts as he wipes a hand down his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that is totally something a sane person says,” Takebayashi murmurs to Okuda, and she hides her smirk with her hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Ritsu and I going to talk for a moment, and I just need you guys to listen and keep up. When we finish, you can tell me if I am being desperate or not. You two are the only ones who can let me know if there is any hope here.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa is the best at keeping his emotions from showing on his face. He is an amazing assassin because his bloodlust never gives him away. Now, despite the dark circles around his eyes, hope shines clear as day through them. Even Ritsu is taking up the screen with her whole face, a similar optimism showing. Somewhere along the line, she taught herself to long and wish for things, not just rely on what a calculation says is possible.</p><p> </p><p>Okuda and Takebayashi do not even spare each other a glance as they nod. Right now, they feel the importance of this conversation weighing on them. Whatever has Nagisa demonstrating such passion, they cannot help but feel the same. Nagisa takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and begins.</p><p><br/>
“I think we can turn Korosensei back into a human.”</p><p> </p><p>He takes no mind of the gasps from the bed in front of him before continuing. “I stayed up all night with Ritsu going through the files from researchers studying how to prevent the Earth’s destruction. Most of them were focused on assassination attempts, of course, but there are bits and pieces among them all that explain the science behind Korosensei.”</p><p> </p><p>Ritsu takes over now. “The exact documents on how he came to be were lost when the laboratory exploded. Still, Nagisa and I pulled parts from research documents across the world to build a rough outline of the original experiments. These researchers have looked into the fusion of antimatter and biological cells that created the tentacles.”</p><p> </p><p>“I am not the best at science, but Ritsu explained what she could. And from what we’ve gathered, and what I have seen you two do before in class, I think we can reverse the process. Kayano and Itona were separated from their tentacles, so I believe there is a way to do the same for Korosensei.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa looks directly at his classmates now, showing the same determination as at the school when he first said he wanted to save their teacher. “I know we are all stressed about entrance exams. I completely understand if this is too much work. But I believe this is the only way Korosensei can survive past March. I think we could at least try. If we don’t, we will never know if it is possible.”</p><p> </p><p>As he finishes, the room falls silent with the heaviness of responsibility. Nagisa knows Takebayashi and Okuda were on his side during the paintball tournament, but now he is directly asking them to help with a massive project that may not even work. Failing may hurt more than not knowing in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>Despite this, they each know there is no chance they could less this opportunity pass. A silent agreement settles throughout the room. They have to know.</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi clears his throat. “This is my chance to save my first life. I can’t be a doctor if I don’t try, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda smiles wide, nodding. “Korosensei supported me in my passion for science, so I want to use it to help him.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa lets out a relieved sigh, his body relaxing from the pent-up tension. “Thank you both so much. And Ritsu, too, for putting up with me last night. I apologize, but I think I reached my limit on science last night. This mess is all I have to offer you guys.”</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi grabs a few papers from the floor at random and hands a few to Okuda. They both squint their eyes to make out Nagisa’s handwriting in a mixture of Japanese and English, his penmanship and grammar clearly declining when he began to grow more and more tired.</p><p> </p><p>“You two did a lot of great research here. I have always been really interested in the experiments that created Korosensei. With Ritsu’s help, I think we can come to some sort of solution. I just don’t know where to start,” Takebayashi says.</p><p> </p><p>Okuda makes a thoughtful hum, and they turn to her. When she realizes all eyes are on her, she blushes and raises her papers to hide her face.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you have an idea?” Ritsu asks.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! Well, there has been something that has bothered me for a while. About what Korosensei, Kayano, and Itona have all said about their tentacles,” Okuda speaks as she glances through some of the papers, “They said their tentacles asked them what they wanted to be. This is very odd anyway, as it seems the tentacles form some sort of sentience when put in a human. But the tentacles abide by this command, and they will do anything to achieve it. Since then, I have wondered how far these tentacles would go for their owner’s wishes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Korosensei said he told the tentacles he wanted to be weak in order to be a great teacher. So, they turned him into an octopus.” Nagisa helpfully adds.</p><p> </p><p>Okuda looks up, wide-eyed as the puzzle pieces slide together. “Well, if they turned him into an octopus, couldn’t they just turn him back?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course!” Takebayashi pipes up, suddenly very excited by science. “The command is the key here. We just have to change their command!”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda nods, happy they understand her point. Ritsu’s face disappears as she brings up the files previously gathered about saving the Earth. The article titles scroll through the screen quickly before one spreads across the screen.</p><p> </p><p>“I cannot find any previous research about the sentience of the tentacles specifically. Other than those who have had tentacles, no one probably knows about this aspect. However, I found mentions of controlling tentacle creatures that I think may come in handy. It is from a team in London.”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda crosses the room and kneels in front of the laptop, eyes taking in the information like she is reading a children’s book. She mumbles words in English as she reads; Nagisa may be good at English, but he cannot hope to understand anything on the screen and instead waits for Okuda to finish.</p><p> </p><p>Then, suddenly, she exclaims, “Burundanga! Of course! Nagisa, I need a piece of paper, please.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa almost rolls out of his chair in surprise, but quickly catches himself. He stands up and finds an empty notebook and pen to hand to her.</p><p> </p><p>“Buruburu? Are you cold?” He asks as Okuda begins to scribble some notes in English.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah-no. Burundanga is the common name for a medication used to treat a few different disorders,” Okuda explains without looking up, “However, in America, it is feared as a so-called ‘mind control’ drug. In high doses, it can disorient a person and lower their inhibitions. Some people have emptied their bank accounts or given personal information while on this drug. The researchers in this case were hoping to convince Korosensei to let himself be killed.”</p><p> </p><p>Even Takebayashi looks lost. “Are you seriously suggesting we drug our teacher? Is Karma paying you or something?”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda looks up and waves her hands. “No! We will not be drugging him. We are drugging the tentacles. At least, that is what I hope we can do. Korosensei mentioned alkaloids slow the antimatter cycle and directly impact the tentacles. The researchers here obviously did not know this- only someone who worked on the original project would. Burundanga happens to be an alkaloid too. In high concentrations, it will merely calm the tentacles down, not affect Korosensei like the researchers hoped. But if we can take advantage of the tentacle’s sentience, drugging them should make them susceptible to accepting a new command.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then Korosensei can command them to change him back into a human,” Nagisa finishes.</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi shoots up and looks at Okuda’s notes. She has listed a few chemical formulas and their properties, and he nods with understanding.</p><p> </p><p>“This could actually work. You are a genius, Okuda.” He pulls out his phone and takes a picture of the sheet. “You said this drug is technically a medicine? Then I should be able to get some for us to work with.”</p><p> </p><p>In an instant, Nagisa feels the tiredness and ache in his body disappear. Suddenly, he is energized and ready to take on the world. There is hope to not just save Korosensei, but fulfill his wish of staying with his students. All of his hard work has not been for nothing.</p><p> </p><p>If Ritsu could leave the computer, she looks like she would envelop them in a tight hug and cry. Nagisa shoots her an appreciative smile instead, and she returns it tenfold as Okuda and Takebayashi continue to bounce ideas and complex terms off of each other.</p><p> </p><p>After a moment, Nagisa clears his throat, reclaiming an air of seriousness as attention turns to him. “I have one last thing to ask of you. I think it is best if we keep this a secret for now- even from Korosensei and our classmates. I do not want the government to catch on to what we are doing, nor do I want to get anyone else’s hopes up. If this truly is possible, we have to pull it off without any outsiders knowing, or else they may just keep coming after Korosensei.”</p><p> </p><p>He receives a trio of nods, though everyone is still wearing a bright smile. Not much could dampen their good mood right now.</p><p> </p><p>Okuda speaks up next, “We can work at my house, since my parents are out a lot. We’ll need to sneak some science equipment from the classroom, then see if we can get more information out of Korosensei about the experiment that created him. He said he manipulated the tests, after all.”</p><p> </p><p>“I will start collecting information about the drug,” Ritsu says before turning her back on them, already combing the internet.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa clasps his hands together. “We have our starting point. I am not that good at science, but I will do anything you guys ask of me.”</p><p> </p><p>“The sooner we figure this out, the more time I can spend studying for entrance exams. We can begin collecting supplies tomorrow.” Takebayashi says, then reaches out a hand to grasp Nagisa’s shoulder. “Also, Nagisa, do us all a favor and take a nap before you fall over. Science clearly wears you out.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa laughs, sheepishly rubbing his tired eyes as his late-night starts to catch up with him again. Afterwards, the trio manages to collect and organize the papers thrown across the room as best as they can. Nagisa holds the door for Takebayashi and Okuda as they leave, both carrying twin stacks of paper. Ritsu has disappeared from his laptop when he returns to his room, probably deeply engrossed in her own research.</p><p> </p><p>His mattress creaks as he falls onto it, face-down. He should study some more for his entrance exams, but his body is been dragged down by his lack of sleep. Anyway, he does not think he could focus on anything not related to this new project.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa knows if his class works together, they can accomplish the impossible. He is not alone in this endeavor, and the combination of intelligence of Takebayashi, Okuda, and Ritsu is one to be reckoned with.</p><p> </p><p>They will return their teacher to being a human. They will assassinate him in their own way.</p><p> </p><p>Fully clothed and only halfway on his bed, Nagisa manages to sleep for four hours straight.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It is two and a half weeks later when Okuda catches him before classes and tells him to meet at her house after school.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa spends the whole day trying to not obviously watch the clock or tap his foot. Ever since he asked Takebayashi, Okuda, and Ritsu for their help, the trio has spent hours upon hours in the makeshift laboratory in Okuda’s room. If they are not in class, studying for entrance exams, or humoring their class’s assassination attempts, they are reading government files and mixing chemicals. Typical teenager stuff.</p><p> </p><p>Except- Nagisa has more or less been left out of the process. He is not necessarily upset as he realizes he is not scientifically gifted, so he would probably be in the way if he did participate. However, he cannot help the worry and anxiety that dwell underneath his skin at not knowing if his plan to save Korosensei will work or not. He receives occasional, brief updates as they are all very careful to not let anyone figure out what they are attempting to do, especially Ritsu as she can be hacked if someone catches wind of their plan. Still, it is not enough to calm him.</p><p> </p><p>That said, he is the first person out of his seat when class is dismissed, and only barely manages to force himself to take the long way to Okuda’s to make sure no one notices where he is going. Thankfully, the rest of the squadron is already setting up when he lets himself in.</p><p> </p><p>Okuda’s desk has been taken over with empty beakers, test tubes with a yellow liquid inside, and various containers of small tablets. A microscope with their school’s logo sits right in the middle, and a connection cable links it to the computer monitor nearby where Ritsu is organizing data. There are several stacks of paper as well- some of which he recognizes his handwriting on- though they are far more neatly arranged than when they were in his room. Nagisa honestly expected a professional laboratory like on television, but he remembers they are in junior high and are not drug dealers.</p><p> </p><p>“Can you pass me the drug?” Takebayashi asks, and Nagisa realizes he spoke too soon.</p><p> </p><p>“Here you go- oh, hi, Nagisa!” Okuda hands her partner one of the containers and waves at Nagisa with the other hand.</p><p> </p><p>Ritsu pulls herself out of her tasks and turns to greet him as well.</p><p> </p><p>“There you are!” Takebayashi says as he places a few tablets under the microscope.</p><p> </p><p>“It certainly seems like you guys have made a lot of progress here.” Nagisa observes as he walks over to the desk, peering down at some diagrams drawn on a paper and trying to make sense of them, with no such luck.</p><p> </p><p>“We have!” Ritsu claps her hands together. “It took a long time to expand and apply the research you and I did, but we are confident in our results.”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda grabs a yellow-filled vial and hands it to Nagisa. “I even managed to get several samples of Korosensei’s mucus for us to study. All I had to do was tell him I was curious about its effects when it interacts with different metals, and he let me take as much as I wanted. Ritsu, can you please show Nagisa the spreadsheet of the mucus components?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course, Okuda!” Ritsu says as she vanishes from the display to make room for a chart with chemical formulas and percentages listed from largest to smallest. “After careful review, we picked out the elements that make up Korosensei’s mucus, and thus his body. It turns out that his body has the exact same chemical makeup as a human body. However, instead of carbohydrates giving him energy, antimatter fuels him and his extraordinary powers.”</p><p> </p><p>The list disappears, and Ritsu’s face takes over the monitor once again. “That is to say that we now know it is physically possible for the tentacles to change his body. All of the ingredients needed are already present, which makes sense as the tentacles created his current body from a mostly human one, anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>“And!” Takebayashi emphasis, wanting to share in the glory. “That is how we came up with the dosage of burundanga that will be effective for Korosensei. This same medicine is used in small dosages for motion sickness. After our first talk, I visited my brothers at the University, and I swiped as many as I could without it being suspicious. Assassination training made it a breeze.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa makes a face. “That sounds borderline illegal.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, it absolutely is. I will probably lie awake regretting it for a couple of months. But given our situation, I think we are already stretching plenty of rules.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, what is left until it is ready to go?” Nagisa asks. “Test runs? More mucus? Antimatter?”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda clasps her hands together. “It is already finished!”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa blinks at her. “Wait, what?”</p><p> </p><p>“According to a research paper in Brazil where they tried to poison him, Korosensei’s tentacles automatically absorb any chemicals that enter his body to protect him. They use energy from antimatter fusion to break invasive chemicals down. However, like I said before, burundanga contains alkaloids, which slows down antimatter’s fusion rate.” Okuda pulls out a tablet and holds it up between her fingers. “With a high enough dose, the tentacles should be delayed for long enough for the drug to damage their DNA. In the time it takes them to rejuvenate, Korosensei should have the time to change their command.”</p><p> </p><p>“Most of the work was done across different research projects- we just had to put it together, like a puzzle, and apply what we know about Korosensei,” Takebayashi says. “Then we could come up with the formula to <em>this</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi has a satisfied smirk as he opens a drawer and pulls out a large syringe that was hidden within a pile of pens and pencils. It is filled with a milky liquid, with a needle longer than the syringe itself covered by a safety cap. Nagisa feels a shiver run down his spine at the thought of being stabbed with it.</p><p> </p><p>“In simple terms-” Okuda smiles at him. “It works, Nagisa. We can turn Korosensei back into a human.”</p><p> </p><p>It takes a moment for the weight of her words to seep into Nagisa’s understanding, and another few moments of silence as he processes just what this means for him, for their whole class, and most importantly, for Korosensei.</p><p> </p><p>Even he thought it was impossible. But the impossible is right in front of him: a white liquid in a five-milliliter syringe that looks like any other medication. With the help of Korosensei’s teaching, his classmates found a seemingly simple, obvious solution to saving their teacher.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, Nagisa cannot see through the blur from his tears. He hears Okuda gasp, but he quickly wipes his eyes with his sleeve and takes a deep breath. The other three look surprised at his reaction, with Okuda having taken a step toward him and Takebayashi looking around for a tissue.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, I didn’t expect to start crying, but,” Nagisa puts down his arm and gives the most genuine smile he can muster, “I am so happy that you guys are in our weird class, and that we are able to use what Korosensei taught us for good. It is amazing that the three of you did what other researchers have not.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, to be fair, it’s not like they were trying to do what we are.” Okuda shrugs. “And they provided the framework. There is a lot we could not have learned about antimatter without their research. Anyway, you helped too- we would not have even thought of trying this if you were not so motivated and encouraged us to find a way. Those researchers also did not have a Ritsu, who can find just about any information we need, and who also cares so much about Korosensei.”</p><p> </p><p>Ritsu blushes at the compliment and quickly opens a random program to hide her face. Okuda laughs while Nagisa recomposes himself, brushing away the tear tracks on his face. While listening to all the scientific explanations, Nagisa quickly felt more and more overwhelmed as he tried to comprehend everything thrown at him. Now, he accepts that all he needs to know is that his classmates scaled mountains made of equations in order to help their teacher, and they will have the results of their efforts soon. If he thinks about it too much, he might start crying again.</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi flicks the syringe, bringing attention back to the conversation. “All we have to do is stick this in his head, and within seconds, we should see its effects.”</p><p> </p><p> “We did the science, but now we need you, Nagisa. Do you have a plan for telling the class and giving this to Korosensei? Neither of us have the greatest social skills.” Okuda admits. “I want to think it is as simple as just showing them, but nothing in our class works like that. I don’t want to start another fight about keeping this a secret.”</p><p> </p><p>“Or, worse, the government finds out and stops us before we can do anything.” Takebayashi shivers.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa puts his hand on his chin as he considers this for a moment. Honestly, he had no idea they would find a solution so soon- or at all, as much as he hates to admit it. He did not consider what to do once they actually had an answer, much less about their classmate’s reaction to it. But he got this far by being able to come up with plans quickly and efficiently. This is the least he can do to help after all the hard work Okuda, Takebayashi, and Ritsu have put into their cause.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, Nagisa comes to a conclusion. “We will let everyone keep trying their assassination attempts for a while. That is what we agreed to do after the paintball war, after all. Then, the day before graduation, we can explain our plan to them. If they have not assassinated Korosensei by then, they have no reason to object.”</p><p> </p><p>“Our classmates may not always show it, but they care about Korosensei, too. I am sure they will be happy when they find out what we have worked so hard on,” Ritsu reassures smiling.</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi nods in agreement. “After all, this is our own version of an assassination attempt. We can say we eliminated the threat to the Earth- we just found a way that does not involve anyone dying. At least, I hope that is reason enough for the government to give us the prize money. Medical school is expensive.”</p><p> </p><p>They all sigh wistfully at the thought of money, success, and their future. After all, this simple cure is their opportunity to have a future with their teacher in it, who gave them each a chance at a successful future by not underestimating them. Even the government will not see this coming.</p><p> </p><p>“Now that this is done, you guys deserve some rest. I know you have not had any free time between this and classes.” Nagisa looks around the room. “I’ll help you clean up- then ice cream is on me.”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda’s eyes widen before she immediately starts grabbing beakers and papers, shoving them into random shelves and drawers. While laughing, Takebayashi and Nagisa hardly have time to help her as she organizes her room almost as fast as Korosensei could. When the floor is clear, Okuda checks over the room once before nodding in approval.</p><p> </p><p>“Done.” She says, walking out the door without checking that the others are following her.</p><p> </p><p>“Is she always this eager about sugar?” Nagisa asks.</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi’s eyes stare through him. “She is scarier than any of us think, especially when it comes to science and desserts. I have learned that much after countless late-nights with her.”</p><p> </p><p>He then leaves without elaborating, and that makes Nagisa even more curious. He grabs his schoolbag, turns off the light, and trails behind his peculiar classmates.</p><p> </p><p>Everyone in their class has their habits, and that makes them all the more dangerous. But if their project has taught him anything, these same oddities can help themselves and other people, too. Nagisa has used his perception and hidden bloodlust to get him and his classmates out of many dangerous situations. Now, it is time for the power of intelligence and diligence to shine. Okuda and Takebayashi have had difficulty in the past in carrying out their own assassination attempts, but together, they may be a force to be reckoned with. Ritsu, too, has shown how much she has learned about working with others and doing things of her own free will.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa cannot wait to let Korosensei know how hard they worked on this project. He will be so proud.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>When he looks outside and sees Korosensei’s prison, Nagisa feels his hope scatter into the wind and far, far away from Class 3-E.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as Karasuma leaves them alone and the military transports them all home, he has Ritsu start a group video chat with Okuda and Takebayashi.</p><p> </p><p>“Is there still a chance?” Okuda says as soon as her internet connects.</p><p> </p><p>Ritsu covers her mouth with her hands. “There has to be! If we can get close enough to the barrier, we can just give the syringe to Korosensei, right? Then he will turn back and can cross the barrier without problem. The government will have no reason to bother him anymore.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, it sounds great in theory. But we were way too naïve about our whole plan from the start,” Takebayashi says plainly, “Even if we would have given Korosensei the drug before today, here is no way the government would have ever let us have our way. Especially now that they made a whole dramatic announcement about it.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa taps his fingers on his desk. “No one is going to let this go until they have confirmation that he is dead. Saying Korosensei miraculously turned human again will not do anything with how scared everyone is. They want an assassination.”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda speaks up, “I figured it was too risky to tell the class about the drug in the tent earlier, but we still can try, right? If everyone knows, they might be able to figure out a solution. Korosensei says there is nothing we cannot accomplish if we work as a class. This is no different. We can just explain it to them when we head up the mountain.”</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi shakes his head. “Are you suggest that, in the middle of an extremely high-risk and illegal mission, we stop and tell our class about this groundbreaking project we have been working on since January? That we drop the bomb on them about the possibility of our teacher becoming a human again, the day he is set to be obliterated by the government?”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda nods.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I guess if it is our only choice.” Nagisa laughs, but it sounds forced. “Better late than never, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh god, you both have lost your minds,” Takebayashi says as he rubs his eyes behind his glasses, “I cannot believe I am about to do this. I am trying to get into a medical college, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad we all agree! It has been so hard keeping this a secret for so long. I want everyone to know, especially Korosensei.” Ritsu chirps.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa nods. “It’ll be hard. Though, we did not sharpen this second blade of ours for nothing. For now, we work with the rest of the class on the plan to get up the mountain. We will worry about our side mission when that is complete. Until then, Okuda, keep a close eye on the syringe, please.”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda glances down at the drawer and back up. “Of course. It is easier hiding stuff from the government than from Mr. Karasuma, anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright. Now, we all need some rest. No suspicious activity until we go to save Korosensei. Stay safe, and stay positive, okay? We will do everything we can.” Nagisa ends with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>The other three sign off with a similar farewell. His expression drops as soon as the screen goes black. With nothing left to distract him from the situation, he climbs into bed with his clothes still on and pulls the blanket over his head. The weight of everything that has happened in the last few hours suffocates him.</p><p> </p><p>It might work. It might not. But if they have any chance of getting Korosensei out of this alive, this plan is all they have. He can only hope it is enough.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It is three hours until Korosensei is to be assassinated by the government. Judging by the looks on his classmates’ faces, it is three minutes until Nagisa is to be assassinated by Class 3-E.</p><p> </p><p>“You better have a great reason to stop us now, Nagisa. We do not have much time to spare here.” Karma says with a warning smile on his face.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa stands facing their group, straightening his back and making himself appear as confident as possible. Not that he feels it, but he can fake it. All eyes are focused on him. The group has just entered the forest surrounding the barrier. In a few hundred feet, they will begin their attack and come face-to-face with military forces.</p><p> </p><p>They have moments until their plan to see Korosensei again officially starts. But Nagisa has to let them know their only chance to truly save him, first.</p><p> </p><p>“Before we head up the mountain,” Nagisa takes a deep breath, “there is something you guys need to know. It was too risky to tell you until now, but this is the last chance we have. At this point, it has become our last option.”</p><p> </p><p>Terasaka crosses his arms as he stands at the front of the crowd. “Seems about right that Nagisa would drop some random information out of nowhere at a time like this. Let me guess- you have tentacles too? That would be the least surprising thing at this point.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa tries to ignore his patronizing tone. He already started a fight before by suggesting saving their teacher. He does not even know where to start with something like this, especially with tension already high from delaying such an important mission.</p><p> </p><p>“To be more specific,” Okuda suddenly speaks up, pushing her way to the front with Takebayashi right behind her, “we have an idea on how to get Korosensei out of this barrier. It will not work without your help, though.”</p><p> </p><p>As they take their positions on either side of him, Nagisa notices how two of the shyest members of their class do not even flinch as surprised eyes focus on them. They said their social skills are lacking, but they seem to be doing pretty well so far. As Ritsu pops up on his phone and gives him a thumbs-up, Nagisa finds a new wave of determination to do his part.</p><p> </p><p> “Since January, the four of us have been working on a way to protect Korosensei from the government. We knew they would not leave him alone. I went through the research projects on preventing the Earth’s explosion again, and Okuda, Takebayashi, and Ritsu used their science knowledge to study Korosensei and his tentacles.”</p><p> </p><p>As he pauses to take a deep breath, Nagisa feels the burden of time press down on him. He knows he has the class’s attention now, but as much as he would like to explain everything that happened, it will have to wait until after midnight. Karma might be impatient enough to just go ahead if he takes any longer. Might as well rip the band-aid off now, and deal with the fallout later.</p><p> </p><p>“We figured out a way to turn Korosensei back into a human.”</p><p> </p><p>There is a sudden silence so all-encompassing that Nagisa almost thinks the crickets are as shocked as his classmates. He is not sure if this is a good or bad sign.</p><p> </p><p>Isogai is the first to react. “You- what?”</p><p> </p><p>Thankfully, Takebayashi is quick to dive in and briefly explain. “We came up with a plan to drug the tentacles into listening to Korosensei. If you remember, the tentacles ask their owners what they want. The drug we have been working on is used to reduce one’s free well. Ideally, Korosensei can use this chance to ask the tentacles to turn him back into a human.”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda pulls the syringe from a pocket on her shoulder and holds it out for everyone to see. “This is what we plan on using. All we have to do is tell him what to do and inject it into his head for it to take effect.”</p><p> </p><p>Their explanation finished, Nagisa scans the crowd and takes note of their reactions. Some are- rightfully so- still bewildered and staring at the syringe in Okuda’s hand. The calmer members of the class are looking at the trio standing in front of them, expectantly waiting for more information. Still, Nagisa carefully avoids Nakamura and Karma’s eyes. Those two are the hardest to read, but he will not let whatever he sees in their expressions sway him. Everything is out in the open now; with these three beside him, he will do anything to get to the top of the mountain and give Korosensei the drug.</p><p> </p><p>“We planned to tell you the day before graduation, so that we could continue our assassination attempts until then. Obviously, that was thrown out the window the second the government pulled out this red laser,” Nagisa says, slightly apologetic at keeping such a big secret.</p><p> </p><p>“So, the four of you just researched, in your bedroom, how to turn a super-creature back into a human. And it worked,” Sugino speaks up, though he sounds more like he is explaining this to himself.</p><p> </p><p>Okuda and Takebayashi shrug and nod, as if what they accomplished is not scientifically extreme and borderline impossible, even Nagisa will admit that. To be fair, nothing to do with their class is normal.</p><p> </p><p>As their classmates fully recover from and start to understand this blast of information, Nagisa sees expressions of hope emerge in more and more of them. He takes this as a positive sign. Still, he needs to cover all of their bases now, before it comes time to tell Korosensei. They are running out of time, and he will not let opposition stop their plan.</p><p> </p><p>“We all know the government will not let us walk out with Korosensei as he is now. None of us just wanted to admit it.” Taking a breath, Nagisa gathers his last bit of self-confidence and narrows his eyes. His expression leaves no doubt about his seriousness. “If anyone has any objection to turning Korosensei back into a human, they can settle it with me- <em>after</em> we save our teacher. But until then, I refuse to fail. This is not like the paintball fight anymore. Korosensei deserves a chance.”</p><p> </p><p>There is a beat of silence after, and Nagisa holds his breath. Okuda holds the syringe close to her chest, as if daring someone to take it from her. At this point, he would not be surprised if Takebayashi and her were ready to throw a punch for this feat of science they have accomplished.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, if that isn’t the most inspirational thing I have heard all week,” Nakamura says with her hands on her hips, “I promise, no objections from me this time. You have already shown us all since January why you believe in this so much. After everything we have been through together, I can’t help but want to save Korosensei, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa can hardly believe when he hears similar murmurs of agreement from those who were on the “Kill” team. He also sees a few from the “Save” team with tears prickling at the edges of their eyes. Before tonight, he expected the same retaliation as when he accidentally started the civil war. He is amazing at how much everyone has changed and come to appreciate everything their teacher has done for them in the time since.</p><p> </p><p>Karma speaks, and his condescending tone is absent for once, “I promised to hear you out when you won, and now you have made me I agree with you. Keeping that octopus around is way more fun than if he were dead, prize money or not.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa gives him a wide, grateful smile. If he has even Karma’s approval and support, he knows he is doing the right thing.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, I guess we all agree that we are turning our ridiculous teacher into a human.” Terasaka looks at them expectantly. “What’s the new plan then, our so-intelligent leaders?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we explained everything so confidently-” Takebayashi rubs his neck, “-but the truth is we have two issues to work out first. First, we need Kayano and Itona’s help.”</p><p> </p><p>From the back of the group, Kayano squeaks at being called out. Students move out of the way as she shuffles her way to the front, hands clasped tightly in front of her. Itona appears from behind Terasaka, looking eager to have instructions. They stand together, ready to listen.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa addresses them directly, “We ask for your help because you both have experience with tentacles. If- <em>when</em> Korosensei turns back human, we cannot just leave the tentacles in him. There is no telling what they might do, especially with how powerful he is. It is more likely the government will leave him alone if he does not have them, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi opens his backpack before brandishing a set of oversized tweezers- the same ones they stole from Korosensei’s desk during career counseling week. “We will need you both to pull his tentacles out, like he did for you.”</p><p> </p><p>Kayano reaches out to grab the tweezers, though she seems somewhat awkward when holding them. She has never been one for weapons. After a moment, she shares a look with Itona. Nagisa can see Kayano growing more sure of herself as she grips the tweezers tight as if to dare someone to suggest she is not suited for this.</p><p> </p><p>“We can do it,” Itona confidently speaks for the both of them, “Whatever it takes, we will pull them out. Tentacles are a horrible thing, and no one needs them when they have friends to support them. Korosensei taught me that.”</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi nods, smiling like he was expecting such an answer. He hands over his backpack for Kayano to use to carry the tweezers. The duo steps off to the side, already discussing something the rest of them probably could not understand.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s your first problem taken care of. What’s the next thing?” Isogai asks.</p><p> </p><p>“Well,” Nagisa starts, doing his best to convey it properly, “The government obviously will not let Korosensei walk away from this, even if he is a regular human. They told the public about him, too, so everyone will be uneasy until they get confirmation that Korosensei is dead. The four of us realized this a week ago, but we could not come up with a solution without the entire class’s help.”</p><p> </p><p>Without missing a beat, Karma nonchalantly moves forward and squeezes between Nagisa and Okuda. Nagisa figures he is growing impatient at someone else leading the group instead of him. In moving to face the rest of the class, he regains their attention as to his role as their leader on this plan.</p><p> </p><p>“We can always fake his death. It’s not that hard,” Karma says, like he has done it before. Nagisa honestly would not be surprised if he has.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course <em>you </em>would suggest that.” Terasaka rolls his eyes. “We can’t shove wasabi up some military personnel’s nose in order to get them to look the other way. They lack the honor that assassins do, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>Karma clicks his tongue, giving Terasaka an almost sympathetic look for daring to underestimate him. “I already have plans to do that, but not for Korosensei’s sake. Once we get through the barrier, we are alone, right? No one else will know what actually happens up there. As far as they are concerned, there is no way Korosensei will survive the laser. We just leave his clothes behind, sneak him out after midnight, then hide him for a while until everything blows over. Simple as that.”</p><p> </p><p>“When you say it, it sounds easy. Though I know it won’t be, especially with the whole world knowing about Korosensei,” Okuda says.</p><p> </p><p>“In a couple of weeks, the general public will not know nor care about what happens tonight, as is the case with most natural disasters. If we can get up the mountain, we can get down it with an extra person. Korosensei can lay low while the world goes back to normal. So it is that easy.” Karma responds.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa recognizes that in the past, Karma has never cared about the casualties of a plan, as long as he controls the outcome. He strives for results. In his ideal world, no one lives or dies, acts or refuses, unless he says so. Still, Nagisa knows that Karma actively formulated this plan to be as safe as possible, for his classmates’ sake. And, before he even knew about the project to turn Korosensei into a human, he was always preparing to save their teacher at any cost. He would not accept any other result.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, there goes all of our assassination attempts. And our prize money.” Muramatsu sighs, and there is a collective groan from the rest of the group.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa smiles, ever the optimist. “I mean, is this not like assassinating him, in a way? We will kill our target like we were asked to do. However, only his super-creature side is dying. His humanity gets to live on.”</p><p> </p><p>“Nakamura’s right. You say a lot of philosophical stuff, especially for a teenager,” Itona pipes in, though there is no bite in his voice.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we can use Nagisa and his endless supply of speeches to tell the government officials that we snuck up here and killed him before the laser did. They can’t prove otherwise. Then, we still get paid.” Nakamura suggests.</p><p> </p><p>Seeing that the conversation is over, Karma pulls out his phone. “We can deal with the prize money after Korosensei is hidden away. Ritsu, how are we looking on time?”</p><p> </p><p>Ritsu pops up alongside a timer. “Two and a half hours until the laser is charged. I already slightly adjusted the path to save some time. Ready when you are, Karma.”</p><p> </p><p>Karma nods, raising his hand up. “This is going to work, right, Nagisa? You already changed my flawless plan this much, so I will not take no for an answer.”</p><p> </p><p>“It will. I am sure of it.” Nagisa high-fives him, and that’s that.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>After everything they have been through, Nagisa almost feels like collapsing in relief the second he sees Korosensei again. By the massive group hug that occurs moments after he greets them, the rest of Class 3-E feels the same.</p><p> </p><p>Knowing time is quickly running out, they fill their teacher in about the laser, the public unrest, and the government’s plans. Not that it comes at any surprise after he has been trapped in this dome for a week.</p><p> </p><p>They humor him for a few minutes as he takes his opportunity to give them a lesson about life, about the uncertainties, and about how sometimes, one just has to deal with what happens to them. Some things are unfair or impossible, but that’s life. They can either be controlled by what happens to them, or take control of their lives despite it.</p><p> </p><p>This one time, Nagisa thinks, they will choose to ignore their teacher’s lesson. After all, Korosensei taught them before to use their assassin skills to save people, not hurt them. They are simply choosing one lesson over another.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa quietly asks Ritsu doublecheck for unfamiliar phone signals to make sure they are truly alone inside the shield. She gives him an all-clear right after the class finishes singing to their teacher. As Korosensei prepares to devour Nakamura’s cake in one bite, he finds Okuda and Takebayashi’s eyes. They nod with approval. Taking a deep breath, Nagisa steps forward from the circle and clears his throat.</p><p> </p><p>At long last, it is time for the final phase of their plan.</p><p> </p><p>“Korosensei, there is something we need to tell you-”</p><p> </p><p>A large tentacle suddenly smashes the cake, and their plan- their last hope- is destroyed with it.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>They defeat Yanagisawa and the faux Reaper, but it does not quite seem like a victory until Kayano is breathing again.</p><p> </p><p>It is only when Korosensei collapses on the ground, worn from his fight, and his classmates wipe their eyes from overjoyed crying for Kayano, that Nagisa remembers they have something left to do. They have thirty minutes until midnight. And, somehow, this has turned into the perfect situation for Nagisa’s last assassination.</p><p> </p><p>If anything, seeing Korosensei heal Kayano just further proved to Nagisa that there is a chance. If their teacher can reassemble a dead human being, he can reassemble himself. It is possible.</p><p> </p><p>It has to be.</p><p> </p><p>“What kind of an assassin would let a dying target escape?”</p><p> </p><p>No one answers. Korosensei looks at them expectantly; they all know what he wants them to do now. What he thinks is the only option at this point. But for once, they know something he does not. They refuse to accept a result that leaves them without their teacher. They will just have to do the impossible.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa moves to stand in front of his teacher. “Korosensei, do you remember that question I asked you a while ago, back on the school’s roof? Do you have the same answer as then?”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei lifts his head enough to look at him quizzically, then tilts his large head to one side. He seems more confused that they are not worried about his assassination than about Nagisa’s question.</p><p> </p><p>“I am so exhausted my memory seems to be failing me. Care to remind me?”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa takes a deep breath as Takebayashi and Okuda appear at his side, with Ritsu held up on the latter’s phone. Their quartet has dedicated themselves to this cause since the beginning. They will finish it together, and they will not fail.</p><p> </p><p>“If you could be human again,” Nagisa asks, like it is a math question he is struggling with, “would you want to, in order to stay with us? Or would you choose to be assassinated, as you asked us to do a year ago?”</p><p> </p><p>The class gathers around their teacher, waiting eagerly for his answer. Karasuma and Irina appear at the edge of the circle, shooting questioning looks at Nagisa. Korosensei himself is quiet. Nagisa clenches his fists, willing to do anything if he could know what was going on inside his teacher’s head right now.</p><p> </p><p>“I remember now.” Korosensei finally answers. “Yes, I do have the same answer. I would stay with my class. If that means being a human, I would choose that over and over again.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa smiles wide, relieved. “Correct answer, Korosensei. Full marks.”</p><p> </p><p>Beside him, Okuda pulls out the syringe. He sees Kayano prepare the tweezers in the corner of his eye. The plan is coming together. There are no more disturbances, no more waiting, no more options, no more time to waste. They came all this way to save their teacher, and they will succeed.</p><p> </p><p>“You see, Korosensei, we said we would save you. We are not going to stop now, just because of some dumb laser,” Okuda says.</p><p> </p><p>“We worked really hard to find a solution because we all care about you. Turns out, after a bit of research, there was a pretty simple one,” Ritsu adds on.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa points to the drug in Okuda’s hands. “This can turn you into a human again.”</p><p> </p><p>The air seems easier to breathe now that the secret is out, finally; the closely guarded project they have somehow kept from their teacher for so long is ready to show results. Korosensei stares at the syringe, as if trying to figure out everything about it from just a glance. After a moment, he slowly pushes himself off of the ground and stands, though it is clearly hard for him to do so. He turns his head to make eye contact with each of his students.</p><p> </p><p>“I am so proud of all of you.”</p><p> </p><p>He then looks down at the four gathered directly in front of him. Nagisa feels a swell of joy in his chest, like when he first received his scores from finals. Korosensei studies them like he is trying to figure out when they grew up so much without him noticing.</p><p> </p><p>“I was delighted enough when my class came to this mountain to see me one last time, even though I had already accepted my fate. To learn that these students of mine went above and beyond, using the lessons I taught them to find a way to save me? It is all a teacher could ask for. You refused to accept the same facts I did.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei approves of their plan. He wants to live, and that is enough to try and worry about the rest after.</p><p> </p><p>Somehow, his smile seems wider than normal as he takes the syringe to observe it. “How does it work, Doctor Takebayashi and Doctor Okuda?”</p><p> </p><p>Takebayashi blushes at the title. “Well, this drug will not directly change your body. Only the tentacles can do that. Which is why you are going to tell them to turn you into a human- this will make them listen to you. Once we inject it, you need to give them the exact command, like the first time they asked you what you wanted to be.”</p><p> </p><p>“I will love to explain it exactly to you, but we are running out of time. I will show you our notes later, okay?” Okuda promises.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei hands the syringe back and taps his cheek with a tentacle. “So, I just have to tell them what to do? Easy enough. Is that all there is to it?”</p><p> </p><p>Itona steps forward, nodding at the tweezers in Kayano’s hands. “After, Kayano and I are going to remove your tentacles. It is too dangerous to leave you with them.”</p><p> </p><p>“You did it for both of us. How hard can it be?” Kayano grins.</p><p> </p><p>Despite their confidence, Korosensei now seems unsure about this plan. “How do you know you will not get hurt? I will probably not be able to control them. The last thing I want is to accidentally hurt someone during this.”</p><p> </p><p>“We know how to handle rogue tentacles better than anyone. They should be drugged enough for us to pull them out quickly. We can take it.” Itona reassures.</p><p> </p><p>This does not seem to quell Korosensei’s fears at all- because, whatever the situation, his students come first- but Itona looks as sure of himself as he has ever been. After working so hard to build his self-esteem and self-worth since joining their class, even Nagisa knows they should be proud of both him and Kayano for their courage in this important task that was dropped on them only a few hours ago. No one can take this from them now.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa speaks up, “The four of us have thought this through for weeks, and the whole class has helped with the details. We even have a plan to fake your death to keep the government off of your back. Now, you just have to trust in us and follow the plan, whatever the risks.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei presses a tentacle against his heart. “I trust you all wholeheartedly. I guess I have to put my fate in your hands this time.”</p><p> </p><p>Karma, always irritable if the attention is not on him for too long, shrugs his shoulders. “In the end, this turned out to be the best situation for a fake assassination. After all, you cannot survive this red blast. Not with tentacles, at least. No one is going to look twice at an extra human as long as they know their target has been eliminated.”</p><p> </p><p>“Because Class 3-E could not possibly figure that out,” Terasaka says, more proud than condescending, “Guess there is some value in those arrogant jerks underestimating us.”</p><p> </p><p>To cover all their bases, Karma turns and directly addresses Karasuma, who has been quiet this whole time. “You won’t snitch on us, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“As far as the government has to know, the threat to the Earth has been neutralized. Irina and I saw Class 3-E assassinate their teacher with our own eyes.” Karasuma smiles, pointedly closing his eyes and turning around. “Now, get with it. There is not much time left.”</p><p> </p><p>Okuda and Takebayashi look at each other, then at their teacher.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you ready?”</p><p> </p><p>“As I will ever be.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei sits back on the ground. He crosses his legs and puts his tentacles in his lap, looking too much like a child listening to a story than a super-creature about to be drugged. Itona and Kayano move to stand behind him; Kayano holds the tweezers firmly, with Itona looking ready to hold Korosensei down should he need to. Okuda sits on her knees next to their teacher with the syringe at the ready.</p><p> </p><p>Ever the diligent leader, Isogai recognizes the possible danger and ushers the rest of the class into a group together, a few extra feet away from their teacher. Nagisa prepares himself to dive in if he needs to, though he sees that Karasuma has a hand behind his back and will probably beat him to it with whatever weapon he has hidden should the worst happen. At this point, all they can do is watch and hope everything goes as expected.</p><p> </p><p>Before he really understands it is happening, Nagisa has Takebayashi’s shaking hand in his left and Karma’s in his right. He takes a quick glance around to see the entire class has linked hands as they bite their lips and tense their shoulders. Every single person here wants this to work with every fiber of their being.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa faces forward and focuses entirely on the syringe in Okuda’s hand. She exchanges some words with Korosensei that he cannot hear, though he would not be surprised if she was apologizing for the length of the needle. Uncapping it, she produces an alcohol wipe out of somewhere to wipe down the needle and the side of Korosensei’s head. It is probably unnecessary, but nonetheless charming to see that she is already treating him with the same care she would a human patient.</p><p> </p><p>There is no warning, no countdown, no slow-motion shot as Okuda breathes out and pushes the needle into the base of Korosensei’s head. Within seconds, she has pressed the plunger down and emptied the syringe of the milky liquid inside. She pulls it out before quickly capping it, then running to join the rest of the class to watch with bated breath.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei does not react in any way or move. Nagisa was honestly expecting something dramatic, like an explosion or a flash of light or a fire alarm, to happen Instead, it is just their teacher sitting there, silent and still. Nagisa imagines he is focused on the tentacles, waiting for them to listen to his answer for what he wants to be. It has changed a lot since last year.</p><p> </p><p>Then, slowly, several slender, long tentacles snake out from Korosensei’s head and creep over his whole body. More tentacles than Nagisa can keep track of continue to emerge from the back of his head to poke and prod at his limbs, as if unsure of their task. After a few moments, they all draw back a few inches.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, at once, they strike at Korosensei’s body.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa flinches at first, as does Kayano and Itona. The tentacles rapidly repeat the same motion of withdrawing then shooting forward, globs of mucus coating their ends with each impact. There is a brief moment in which he thinks the tentacles have rebelled and decided to kill their host. But Karma grips his hand tighter before either of them can burst forward to stop it, though there is probably nothing they could do at this point.</p><p> </p><p>Fortunately, this is just as light begins to build around Korosensei’s body. It looks exactly as when he was healing Kayano.</p><p> </p><p>It is this similarity that makes Nagisa realize that it is working.</p><p> </p><p>From what Korosensei described before, it seems the tentacles are using the same process as when they heal: taking pieces of his current body to rebuild his human form, then filling in the gaps with mucus. The light grows brighter and brighter until it overtakes Korosensei’s entire being.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa starts to grow worried- more so than he already was- when a full minute passes, and then another. Itona and Kayano have stepped a few feet back from what is now a ball of light. Still, there is nothing for them to do but wait for whatever happens next.</p><p> </p><p>Thankfully, after a few more moments, the light begins to gradually shrink and dim. It seems to sink to the ground before vanishing completely, as if it were never there in the first place. It takes a second for Nagisa’s eyes to readjust to the darkness. When he is able to see again, he sees the tentacles retreat, their job completed. In their midst, all that is left behind is-</p><p> </p><p>- a human.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei never showed them any pictures of what he looked like as a human, which Nagisa is pretty sure is because he does not have any. He only described himself as handsome- multiple times, for the record. So, none of them really knew, nor even thought about, what their teacher would look like. They could barely image him as anything else but a silly-looking octopus.</p><p> </p><p>The person lying on the ground is not at all what Nagisa expected. This pale and skinny being looks almost the exact opposite of their giant, yellow teacher. The medium-length, dark hair sort of reminds him of Karasuma’s when he first wakes up. Nothing would give away that he was the most skilled assassin in the world. But if it means their teacher is safe, it really does not matter to them what he looks like.  </p><p> </p><p>The human- <em>Korosensei</em>, Nagisa has to remind himself- is spread out in the dirt, motionless. His eyes are closed, and his face is slightly tilted away from the group. He looks extremely small with his gown merely draped over his body like a blanket. The collar of his shirt barely hangs onto the very edges of his shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>As they take in the sight of their teacher, everyone seems too shocked to react. Fortunately, Itona was trained to be an unflappable fighter, and he will not waiver until whatever mission he has been given is completed, no matter the circumstances. He dives forward to grab onto Korosensei’s arms, quickly sitting him up. He wraps a tight arm around the front of their teacher’s shoulders before making direct eye contact with a frozen Kayano.</p><p> </p><p>“Now!”</p><p> </p><p>It takes Kayano a second to respond, blinking several times before she remembers what is going on. She jogs forward, falling to her knees just behind Korosensei. She holds him still with one hand on his shoulder and uses the other to direct the tweezers to an extremely swollen mass on the side of his neck.</p><p> </p><p>In a flash, four tentacles burst out from the same area she was focused on. Two of them wrap around Itona’s arms, prying him away. Another grabs one of Kayano’s wrists, and the last, recognizing the biggest threat to it, lashes out at the hand holding the tweezers.</p><p> </p><p>The sound of it smacking her skin makes Nagisa flinch.</p><p> </p><p>Karasuma draws both a regular knife and an anti-teacher one, wielding them like swords in each hand. He begins to cautiously approach the trio, trying not to make the situation worse while also getting close enough to shield the students. However, Kayano has shown that she is nothing if not determined. She refuses to back down after getting this far. Somehow, she keeps a firm grip on the tweezers despite the visible gash forming on the back of her hand.</p><p> </p><p>The tentacles are noticeably still dazed from the effects of the drug, so Itona’s experience seems to allow him to fight against their pull for now. He strains to keep a grip on their teacher, though the tentacles seem to be squeezing his arms quite tightly. The lashing tentacle makes another lunge for the tweezers.</p><p> </p><p>Though he is a few away from them still, Karasuma takes his chances, draws his arm back, and flings the green knife forward in one fluid motion. It slices through the attacking tentacle before it can make contact again, then lodges itself in the ground nearby. Mucus squirts from the severed limb. As it shrinks back to regenerate, Kayano takes the opportunity to finally stick the tweezers into the base of the tentacles. Though she only has one hand, she fiercely and repeatedly plucks at the strands attaching them to Korosensei’s neck, like she is pulling out stitches.</p><p> </p><p>After several yanks, the damaged tentacle falls to the ground. The one holding onto Kayano’s arm follows moments later. Finally, Itona is freed as Kayano drags out the last tendril. She drops the tweezers into the gooey, yellow puddle next to her knee. With Yanagisawa dead, the last traces of the tentacle experiments have been erased.</p><p> </p><p>The swollen spot on Korosensei’s neck is gone, with an irritated patch of skin the only thing to show for what happened. Karasuma gets close enough to grab Kayano and push her in Irina’s direction. Irina takes one look at her now-bleeding hand before guiding her inside of the school. Kayano surprisingly does not put up a fight as she squeezes her eyes shut and wraps her fingers around the wound, looking like the adrenaline is wearing off and being replaced by pain.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa rushes forward. Itona releases his grip as Karasuma guides Korosensei’s still-unconscious body back to lying on the ground. He puts two fingers on the side of his neck. When Nagisa kneels down next to them, Karasuma looks at him and nods, the barest hint of a smile on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“The tentacles are gone, and his heart is beating. You guys did it.”</p><p> </p><p>It is loud enough for the whole class to hear it. Realizing what just transpired, there is a chorus of cheers and high-fives from behind Nagisa. Itona lets out a sigh of relief and sits on the ground, obviously worn. Within moments, the other students have gathered around their now-human teacher.</p><p> </p><p>“He is a lot smaller than I expected,” Nakamura hums, “I expected him to be a tall, muscular dude.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, he is lankier than Sugino, though those huge clothes don’t help.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do we have any extra clothes in the school? It will be hard for him to move around if he is drowning in his shirt.”</p><p> </p><p>“There should be some spare combat uniforms in the weapons closet. One of them should fit him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh, he does not look Japanese. I thought he was from around here.”</p><p> </p><p>Karma stands over Nagisa’s shoulder as their classmates continue to chat about their teacher’s appearance. Before he can suggest anything nefarious, Nagisa starts shaking Korosensei’s shoulder. He watches for the slightest twitch of his fingers or trace of movement behind his eyelids.</p><p> </p><p>“Korosensei? Can you hear me? It’s Nagisa.”</p><p> </p><p>The students suddenly fall quiet as they wait for a reaction, too. Even Karasuma puts away his pocket watch to see what happens.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa is about to give up when he hears a grumble from below him. Right after, Korosensei’s eyes pry themselves open, and it is the moment the whole class has been waiting for since learning about the plan. It is the moment Nagisa, Okuda, Takebayashi, and Ritsu have been waiting for since that day in Nagisa’s bedroom.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei blinks a few times, then scrunches his eyes as he takes in the two dozen faces staring at him intensely. Clearly confused, he gives them a small, awkward smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Good morning?” He croaks. His voice has the same disarming tilt to it.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as he tries to sit up, Okuda bursts forward and hugs him. Hayami and Isogai follow, then more and more students join in. Before they know it, Nagisa and Karma are dragged into a group hug around their still-recuperating teacher. Karasuma somehow ends up between an apathetic Itona and apologetic Chiba.</p><p> </p><p>Around them, there are various cries of joy- plus some actual crying. Korosensei looks like he does not know whether to ask questions or bask in the long sought-after affection from his students. Still, he seemingly has not realized what exactly happened to him yet. Being suffocated by a classroom of teenagers right after waking up can throw someone off, apparently.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa sees the moment he figures it out. Korosensei raises an arm as if to reach out to the tearful Yukiko, but freezes before he touches her. He stares at his normal, regular human arm. Slowly, he turns it from side-to-side like he has never seen anything like it before.</p><p> </p><p>A few students peel away from the group once they both see his confusion- and also as they become aware that they are severely overcrowding the man. Nagisa refuses to move, though, while Okuda releases her hug. She remains nearby, wiping her tears with her sleeve.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei finally speaks again, voice coated in awe, “It actually worked.”</p><p> </p><p>“I really don’t know how we pulled it off.” Nagisa smiles. “but you got your wish. You are a human again.”</p><p> </p><p>The teacher turns to look at him. At first, Nagisa feels slightly put off by his eyes, which look nothing like the unreadable dots of his octopus form. But, as the moment passes, Nagisa accepts that while the outside will be hard to get used to, he knows the inside well.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei smiles back, and there is a ghost of his former grin in it. “I guess I am. Thank you- all of you. So much. You guys used your assassination skills to save someone, and accomplished the impossible in doing so. I could have never guessed my students would achieve something so monumental.”</p><p> </p><p>“Somehow, we just cannot get rid of you,” Karasuma says, and it is the closest thing to a joke anyone has ever heard from him.</p><p> </p><p>He holds a hand out, and Korosensei stumbles to his feet with the arm as a crutch. He is clearly not used to the absence of tentacles under him. At his full height, he is a lot taller than Nagisa- which is not saying much. Surprisingly, he looks to have an inch or two on Karasuma. His cloak falls off his arms and to the ground, yet his shirt manages to stay on, dangling from his shoulders. His tie is comically large against his skinny figure.</p><p> </p><p>Without delay or celebration, Karasuma turns serious and looks at the class. “The laser will be charged in five minutes. Everyone should head inside and hide any evidence that Korosensei is still here. I will go intercept the military before they can come up to check. I can keep them away so you can rest tonight, then we will figure the rest out tomorrow. Understood?”</p><p> </p><p>Like the little soldiers-in-training they have become, the students stand straight and nod firmly. Though they are still marveling in the fact that their teacher is alive, they know they are not quite out of the woods yet. They will need to get Korosensei off of the mountain, then find somewhere for him to hide. They can deal with that later, though. The hardest part is over.</p><p> </p><p>“Good. You kids should sleep well knowing we are all proud of you.” Karasuma praises.</p><p> </p><p>He pats Korosensei on the shoulder before reaching down to grab his abandoned knife. Twirling it in his hand, he sticks it in his back pocket and descends into the tree line.</p><p> </p><p>Okuda pulls on Korosensei’s wrist. “Come on- Kayano and Miss Irina are inside, too. They will be really happy to see you are awake.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei smiles softly down at her, then looks around to take in his overjoyed students again. “Lead the way, class.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa finds himself sticking close to his teacher’s side as they walk toward the school as a large group. The doors have been left open, and he squints as he gets used to the light spilling out of the building.  As soon as they cross the entrance, though, two figures appear from around the corner.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you were not lying when you said you were handsome,” Irina says casually when she sees them, but there are tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>She has a hand on Kayano’s shoulder, who is looking up at their teacher with wide, amazed eyes. She does not seem to know what to say. After all, she only saw him for a moment before she had to dive into action to help him. Alongside those who made the drug, she probably deserves the most credit for saving Korosensei; she has the injury to prove it.</p><p> </p><p>Speaking of- Korosensei is too perceptive to not notice Kayano hiding her hand in her hoodie pocket. That is, if he has not already seen the red lines circling Itona’s arms, which will turn into dark bruises by daylight. He is also too smart to not have figured out at least part of what happened before he woke up.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay, Kayano?” He asks before she can find the words.</p><p> </p><p>Immediately, Nagisa notices how easy it is to read Korosensei now that he has a human face. Though not as blatant as most people, he has many of the same signs that give away his emotions. This is Nagisa’s specialty, after all. He is able to see the fear and anger behind Korosensei’s concerned expression- both aimed at himself, for what he did to his students. He obviously could not control it, but he is a protective teacher at his core. Unlike his body, that definitely has not changed.  </p><p> </p><p>Kayano gently pulls her hand out of her pocket. It is wrapped tightly with bandages, courtesy of Irina. If it still hurts, she is using her acting skills to hide it for Korosensei’s sake.</p><p> </p><p>“It is just a scratch- don’t worry. I did worse with my tentacles. I am glad you are okay, and that I was able to help you, too.”</p><p> </p><p>She walks forward, then, to hug Korosensei. Okuda releases his arm and steps away so he can return the gesture. It seems symbolic, in a way, but Nagisa is way too tired at this point to analyze it too deeply.</p><p> </p><p>When the hug ends, Korosensei pats Kayano’s head before grinning at Irina. “So, you really think I am handsome? I need that in writing so I can hang it on my refrigerator.”</p><p> </p><p>Any lingering tension or awkwardness is replaced by laughter when Irina flips him off. Instead of giving him a hug as well, she starts to mess with his hair while threatening to get scissors and giving him a proper haircut. This seems to be her way to show that she is happy is alive, though.</p><p> </p><p>At some point, while the students take turns teasing their teacher about his new appearance, the world outside their school flashes red as the laser fires. No one pays it any mind.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, under the directions of Isogai- because Karma only cares to be the leader when it is about combat- the class splits into two. One half head to the storage room to gather the sleeping bags, which were previously requested by Karasuma as part of their survival kits from the government. Korosensei follows them to also find a change of clothes. The rest, including Nagisa, are instructed to move the desks to the side of the classroom, which will give them room to sleep tonight.</p><p> </p><p>They notice the books as soon as they open the classroom door.</p><p> </p><p>Like they are arriving for class in the morning, the students file to their desks. An odd, unsure silence blankets the room as they take their seats and begin to leaf through the massive books in front of them. It does not take long for them to realize what they were meant to be: post-mortem letters.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Korosensei’s Rules to Live By</em>,” Nagisa hears Takebayashi read out loud from across the room.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, the other half of their class enters, making idle chat as they tote around bundles of sleeping bags. It does not take long for them to abandon their luggage next to the door to inspect the books as well, flipping through the pages and occasionally stopping to read a certain page. Irina starts to make a fuss at their lack of progress when she arrives, carrying snacks from the cafeteria in her arms, but finds herself nose-deep in the yearbook on Korosensei’s podium before long.</p><p> </p><p>The students have not read more than a few pages when Korosensei appears at the door, tugging at the sleeves of his hoodie. Now that he is in proper clothes, Nagisa thinks he looks like one of them. He fits into their class like Karasuma, Irina, and Lovro do; they all have something about their appearance that gives away that they are not quite what they seem. Still, Korosensei has the same friendly presence as before his transformation. He will always look like a teacher, no matter his form.  </p><p> </p><p>He opens his mouth to say something before he seems to realize what exactly has his students’ attention. Nagisa surely is not the only one to stare at him for a moment too long, prompting him to provide an explanation with a shrug.</p><p> </p><p>“Like I said before, I did not expect to make it out of this alive. So, I spent my week in isolation making advice books for every one of you. I think they will still come in handy, since I lost my ability to show up at your houses within seconds. Just, if you need help with something not in your books, you can ask me. In person.”</p><p> </p><p>Even while isolated and awaiting his nearly certain death, Korosensei only thought of his students. His fondness for them is physically weighing down their desks. This makes Nagisa more appreciative that they beat the odds. He makes a lesson out of everything, and they will need that as they navigate high school, college, and then their careers. Getting advice from a book just is not the same as from the teacher himself.  </p><p> </p><p>Nakamura does not miss a beat before closing her book. “Your advice is too-detailed. It honestly annoys me.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei looks offended, hand splayed against his heart. “<em>Success is in the details. </em>You of all people should know that, Nakamura.”</p><p> </p><p>“In mine, you spend too much time bragging about yourself for me to learn anything,” Terasaka adds on.</p><p> </p><p>“My own students! Retaliating against my incredibly hard work. I am quite proud of myself for how thorough I was, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, we can tell. If I was going to write a manga about you before, I absolutely refuse to now, only because you suggested it.” Fuwa says.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei clasps his hands over his mouth, his dramatic side shining through at the dry criticism from his students. Before anyone else can criticize him, he drags himself over to look at the yearbook with Irina, but she pushes him away after he tries to flip the page when she was not done looking at it.</p><p> </p><p>Just like that, their classroom is back to its usual lighthearted atmosphere, as it should be. When the class first saw the advice books for what they were, they shared a moment where they imagined a timeline in which their teacher did not make it until midnight. But there is no point in thinking about what-ifs or what could have been, when Korosensei is right in front of them, finding ways to make them laugh.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa is skimming a page about lesson plans when Korosensei floats over to his desk. He seems to recognize the page and nods sagely, like it is some deep literature and not his own DIY column. Then, he pats Nagisa’s shoulder with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“I have to commend you, Nagisa. It seems you taught me something today, for a change.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa looks at him, perplexed at the sudden serious tone. “I did?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sometimes, it is easier to solve the impossible, than accept the possible.”</p><p> </p><p>Somewhere within him, Nagisa finds he was waiting for this praise from Korosensei. Maybe it is validation that he did the right thing, that the world is a better place because he was determined to save his teacher. Maybe it shows him that he finally did something for Korosensei, for once. That this plan was a gift from the whole class for believing in them and setting them on the path to success, when no one else did.</p><p> </p><p>Or maybe he just has a disastrous home life, leading him to be desperate for appreciation. His teacher has helped with that, too. Regardless, he is happy.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa can only bask in the warm feeling in his chest for a short while before he hears a snort from the back of the classroom.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop being so serious over there,” Terasaka says snidely, “I still want to hit this dude at least once, and it has to be a hundred times easier now without all the tentacles. If we can’t assassinate him anymore, I need to at least get a good punch in before this is all over.</p><p> </p><p>He leaves his book behind to stride to the front of the room. He holds himself taller than Nagisa has ever seen, and he looks awfully self-assured. It is unclear if this is a good or bad thing.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei’s expression turns from proud to smug, and there is a glint of- something. A trace in his eye that Nagisa only recognizes as being similar to that of the other assassins he has stared down. Still, he carries the same tendencies in his new form that make him easy to read, like how his face would probably have green stripes if he were still an octopus with a frozen smile. He is the epitome of confidence, with the skills to support it.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that what you think, Terasaka?” Korosensei says easily, moving to stand in front of his challenger. He sticks his hands in his pockets. “I was considered the world’s best assassin, you know. Might still be.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but now you are just a human like the rest of us. I can deal with a person, without being ordered to.”</p><p> </p><p>Terasaka speaks with his fists. It is no surprise to anyone when he throws a punch and tries to land a cheap hit on Korosensei before he can pull his hands out of his pockets. It is also no surprise when the teacher merely moves out of the way.</p><p> </p><p>Terasaka frowns as he strikes out again. Korosensei simply side-steps him again. It is by no means an assassination, and it can hardly be considered fight. Instead, an exhausted, arrogant Terasaka is flailing his hands at his equally tired teacher in some attempt to seem cool.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, Korosensei must decide this has gone on long enough. Terasaka is only getting angrier and more worn out as he is led in circles. Continuing this fight would only embarrass Terasaka more, and that is never Korosensei’s intent. He strives to teach, not entertain someone’s ego.</p><p> </p><p>In one fluid motion, Korosensei removes his hands from his pocket, grabs Terasaka’s outstretched arm, and flips him onto the classroom floor. It is this quick, skilled execution that gave him the fame and recognition he deserved as an assassin. Terasaka hits the ground with a grunt.</p><p> </p><p>However, before he is an assassin, he is a teacher. Korosensei still has the same tendencies, whether his body is octopus or human. Nagisa sees the flash of concern in his face as he realizes he may have let his own arrogance in showing off his skills get ahead of him, like Terasaka did. He freezes for a moment, calculating if he went too far, if he threw his student a little too hard, if adjusting to his human body may have caused him to hurt a student.</p><p> </p><p>But Terasaka gets back up, like he always does. The brief unease disappears from Korosensei before anyone could register that it even existed. Anyone except Nagisa, of course. Somehow, Nagisa finds it comforting to know that his teacher’s weaknesses have not changed, either.</p><p> </p><p>Immediately, Korosensei goes into teaching mode. “Your stance was off, and your punches were weak. Even if you did hit me, it would not even bruise. I know you can do better than that. We may need to do some individual training to work on fighting while exhausted, like you are now.”</p><p> </p><p>Terasaka barely even hears him, face red as he brushes his clothes off and does the walk of shame back to his desk. Muramatsu makes some snide comment that makes Itona and Yoshida laugh. Terasaka cannot even yell at them for it.  </p><p> </p><p>Despite all the excitement, everyone has a limit, especially teenagers. Kayano is the first to yawn, and it quickly spreads through the classroom like a wave. It does not take long before the students start pushing their desks against the wall, leaving their advice books on top of them. With high school coming up, it will take years to read the whole thing. For now, they only worry about where the best place for their sleeping bag is.</p><p> </p><p>The government included enough sleeping bags for their teachers, thankfully, though the powers that be probably never expected Korosensei to actually use one. Irina places herself in front of the door, citing her assassin training when a group of girls offers her a spot by them. Korosensei’s sleeping bag ends up where his podium usually stands, ironically. After all, the students of Class 3-E are teenagers before they are assassins. They bunch up toward the back of the classroom for the same reason students fight to sit at the back of the bus on field trips.</p><p> </p><p>It is while everyone is eating the previously-forgotten midnight snacks that Sugino rests his hand on his chin.</p><p> </p><p>“I know we are all tired and want to shut off for another few hours. But, after tonight, where will Korosensei hide? We should figure that out before we leave for graduation tomorrow, since we will be split up for the rest of the day.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good thinking, Sugino. Anyone’s parents willing to hide a weird middle-aged guy in their basement?”</p><p> </p><p>“He can hide in my garage, though my grandma might run over him.”</p><p> </p><p>That idea is quickly shut down, just in time for Ritsu to pop up on a random phone. “I have located four abandoned warehouses in a twenty-minute radius of the school. One in particular has the best potential as a hiding spot. It has been overrun by rats, so no one goes near it.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei almost faints. Fortunately, Irina speaks up.  “No need for that. He can stay at Karasuma’s place for a few weeks.”</p><p> </p><p>Kataoka gives her a look. “Are you in the position to offer up Mr. Karasuma’s house like that? He is a pretty private person.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course I am. I have been living there too, anyway. If he has let me pick out the shower curtain, he will let me invite guests over.”</p><p> </p><p>Somehow, this is more shocking to the class than their teacher becoming a human again.</p><p> </p><p>“You are living with Mr. Karasuma?”</p><p> </p><p>“When did this happen?”</p><p> </p><p>“How dare you not tell us!”</p><p> </p><p>“Is his whole closet full of those suits?”</p><p> </p><p>“Did he propose?”</p><p> </p><p>Irina flushes at the barrage of questions. She stutters a few quick answers, trying to backtrack now that she realized what she revealed to a room full of nosey teenagers. Karasuma will kill her.</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei grins mischievously. “Is this an invitation-”</p><p> </p><p>Irina whips her head around and stops him before he can finish. “You will be sleeping in the bathroom.”</p><p> </p><p>Instantly, Korosensei turns red. He begins to plead with Irina to at least give him a proper bed. He is getting older, you know, and his back will never recover, please do not do this to him.</p><p> </p><p>As the room is filled with laughter and Korosensei’s begging, Nagisa quietly tells Kayano he is going to the bathroom before slipping out. He shuts the door behind him, reveling in the sudden quiet of the hallway. It has been a long night. As much as he wants to curl up in his sleeping bag until morning, he has something to do first.</p><p> </p><p>To make sure he is not actually lying to Kayano, he goes into the bathroom to take out his ponytails and brush his hair out. Sleeping with it up is just asking for a headache tomorrow. Their graduation will hopefully be less eventful than today has been.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as he walks out, feeling refreshed, there is a flash of red hair as two hands grab at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Boo!”</p><p> </p><p>Purely on instinct, Nagisa kicks out with his right leg. Karasuma had a whole lesson over how much stronger their legs are than their arms, though less flexible. A solid kick could end a fight before it starts. Thankfully, Karma actually showed up to this class, so he is able to dodge before he takes a shoe to the ribcage.</p><p> </p><p>“Nice reflexes, Nagisa,” Karma says with a grin, “I would hate to be the first person who accidentally opens the bathroom stall on you. Though I would love to watch you break their nose.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa glares at him. “You never rest, do you?”</p><p> </p><p>Karma shrugs. “I was getting tired of all the happiness. I can’t say I am thrilled that we are not throwing knives at our teacher anymore, but I will get over it. Anyway, I could say the same for you. You didn’t even finish your candy bar.”</p><p> </p><p>Karma and Nagisa have been friends too long not to notice each other’s nervous habits. Assassination training only strengthened this. Nagisa sees in the way Karma keeps running a hand through his hair that he does not quite believe this is all over. Their classmates are probably feeling the same, too. It will be a while before any of them can relax without thinking some assassin will show up to try and kill their teacher again. They all cope in different ways to keep the stress from eating them alive. Both in school and in their personal lives, Karma micromanages to flush out weakness; Nagisa doublechecks that he did everything he could.</p><p> </p><p>“I am still too riled up. I need to take care of one last thing before I can sleep.” Nagisa smiles reassuringly. “I will be in there with everyone in a second, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure. Don’t do anything I would do,” Karma says, because he has always trusted Nagisa, even when he feared him the most.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa nods in appreciation, then turns and heads in opposite direction. He uses the moonlight and muscle memory to guide him through their school’s hallways, checking behind every door he comes across. Eventually, he finds the pile of Korosensei’s old clothes discarded on the floor of the staff room. He considers the outfit as a whole, and then the pieces individually. He settles on grabbing the iconic tie and stuffs the rest into the filing cabinet.</p><p> </p><p>On his way out, he grabs an anti-teacher knife from the supply closet and idly twists it in his fingers, a comforting weight in his hand after all these months. The cold night wind hits him the second he steps outside, and it obnoxiously blows tendrils of hair into his face. He powers on to the middle of the schoolyard.</p><p> </p><p>Carefully, Nagisa spreads the tie on the ground. He holds it down with his left hand, the right clutching the knife tightly. Before he can do anything else, he notices the footsteps of someone not quite used to having two feet approaching. He waits until Korosensei speaks to acknowledge him.</p><p> </p><p>“You must be more tired than anyone else. Is there a reason you are not settling down with your classmates? Or for stealing my tie?”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa looks up, brandishing the knife for him to see. “As far as the government is concerned, there is no way you survived. But I want to leave proof that it was Class 3-E that killed you- not the laser.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei cocks his head the same way he used to as an octopus. “If it is that important to you to prove a point, then by all means, do as you wish. The prize money is worth faking an assassination. College is expensive, especially now that you kids raised your grades enough to have options.”</p><p> </p><p>This sounds like a test, Nagisa realizes. Korosensei never passes up the opportunity to see his students’ growth, both academic and personal. How Nagisa answers will show what he has learned in the several weeks since he proposed the idea about turning his teacher into a human. Results have no value unless someone grows from the process.  </p><p> </p><p>“I mean, we did technically assassinate you.” Nagisa remembers the speech he gave to his classmates only a few hours ago. “I do not want anyone to think all of our hard work this year was for nothing. We sharpened our second blade to come up with this plan and get up this mountain. In the end, we killed the super-creature we were told to. They never said we had to kill a human. You are Class 3-E’s target, and ours alone.”</p><p> </p><p>Korosensei smiles. “Correct answer, Nagisa. Full marks.”</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa beams. He knew there was a lesson in here somewhere, as there always is with Korosensei, and he was determined to get it right on the first try this time.</p><p> </p><p>He turns his focus back on the tie below him. He messes with its position a few times, then rubs some dirt on it for authenticity. There is no rush, but Nagisa is ready for this night to be over with. It has been a rollercoaster of swing between the worst and best time of his life, and he is only in middle school. He hopes that this is the last time he touches a knife like this.</p><p> </p><p>He feels Korosensei’s eyes on him as he braces both hands around the handle and raises it above his head. Like a true assassin, he keeps his breathing steady as he eyes the weak point of his target, ready to make the killing strike.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa throws all of his pent-up emotions of the last several weeks into the knife. The turmoil of learning of his teacher’s backstory and wanting to do something; the tiredness of staying up all night looking for answers; the anxiety of waiting, waiting, waiting for updates; the helplessness of seeing Korosensei trapped and feeling that all of their efforts have been for nothing; the fear of losing their teacher when they are so close to saving him.</p><p> </p><p>Doing so allows him to keep the good feelings inside. The hope of granting a wish; the promise of finding an answer; the relief of getting help from his classmates; the joy of seeing the cure and knowing it is possible; the finality of seeing their efforts come to fruition as Korosensei becomes something extraordinary- becomes a human, like the rest of the class.</p><p> </p><p>Taking and holding in a deep breath, Nagisa stabs the knife down into the crescent moon. As he lets the breath out, he physically feels his negative emotions release into the ground as he digs the knife into the dirt for good measure. His body seems a hundred times lighter and looser. He did everything he could to get to this point. Despite the obstacles, dismissals, and belittling, Class E managed to save their teacher.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa’s final assassination is a success.</p><p> </p><p>After letting him have his moment, Korosensei holds his hand out for Nagisa to take. His eyes glance down at his former tie, where there is a visible hole around the blade. Nagisa may have put a little too much into his strike.</p><p> </p><p>“I am glad that was not me. It looked like it would hurt.” Korosensei says, smiling down at his student.</p><p> </p><p>Nagisa laughs as he accepts his hand. “Don’t worry. I would have gone for your head.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Class 3-E, the End Class, graduates. Korosensei cries through the entire ceremony.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>what do you MEAN this is not what happened.<br/>i binged the show in a few days and cried for three episodes straight so im using my emotional turmoil to say that korosensei gets to watch his students grow up. my canon now</p></blockquote></div></div>
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